, (V53 






ftfS'iiV 



U. S. SANITARY COMMISSION. 



A meeting of tlic Associate Members of the U. S. Sanitary 
Commission, and of memljers of the Commission resident in tlio 
cit_7 of New York, was held at the. rooms of the Century 
Club, at eight o'clock in the evening of Thursday, the ninth 
day of January, A. D. 1862, pursuant to tlie following invi- 
tation : 

"Sir, 

"The Members of the Sanitarj- Commission, resident in 
" New York, desirous of the acquaintance, counsel, and sup- 
" poi't of the distinguished body of their Associate Members 
" belonging to this cit}', ask the pleasure of your company, on 
" Thursday evening next, January 9th, at 8 o'clock, at the 
" Eooms of the Century Club, N"o. 42 East Fifteenth street 
i' (second door East of the' 4th Ave.) to meet the Commission 
" and Associate Members." 

" The Maj^or is expected to talce the Chair at quarter past 
" eight o'clock." 

" New York, Jan. T, 1862. 

" Henry "W. Bellows, D. D,, Geoi-ge T. Strong, 
" W. H. Yan Buren, M. D., G. K. Agnew, M. D., 
" Wolcott Gibbs, M. D., E. Harris, M. D." 






The following gentlemen "\vci"e present : 



Henrv W. Bellows, D. I)., 
George T. Strong, 
W. II. Van Bnren, M. D., 
C. II. Agnew, M. D., 
Hon. George Opdyke, Mayor. 
Frederick S. Yv'inston, 
Robert B. Miiiturn, 
Joseph M. Smith, M. D., 
Eobert M. Hartley, 
Eobert H. McCurdy, 
John Watson, M. D., 
W. H. Dwinellc, M. IX, 
Stewart Brown, 
John Steward, 
N^icholas Liidlnm, 
Hon. Charles P. Daly, 
Ivev. J. Cotton Smith, 
Samuel B. Rnggles, 
George F. Allen, 
Rev. Samuel Osgood, D. D., 
Charles E. Bntler, 
Prof. H. B. Hitchcock, D. IJ., 
Anderson, M. I)., 
Charles P. Kirkland, 
Howard Potter, 
John Ordronanx, M. D,, 



Wolcott Gibl?, M. D., 
E. Harris, M. D., 
Frederick Law Ohnsted, 

A. C. Richards, 
Benjamin U. Field, 
Benjamin AY. McCready, M. D., 
Rev. Francis Yinton, D. D., 
Alexander H. Stevens, M. D., 
Hon. Horace Greely, 
Stephen Smitli, M. D., 
Cyrus W. Field, 
John H. Griscom, M. D., 
John W. Draper, M D., 
Charles L. Brace, 
Joseph B. Collins, 
Austin Flint, M. D., 
John C. Peters, M. D., 
Alonzo Clark, I\I. D., 
AVilliam F. Gary., 
Jonathan Sturges, 
William E. Curtis, 
Willard Parker, M. D., 
J. Green Pearson, 
Rev. Alexander H. Vinton, 
D. D. 



At a quarter past eight, his Honor George Opdyke, Mayor, 
was called to the chair, and Mr. George F. Allen appointed 
Secretary of the meeting. 

TMP96-007446 



The cliairtnan addressed the meeting, impresshig the great 
value of tlie services the Sanitary Commission has rendered and 
is now rendering tlie nation, and tlie urgent necessity which 
exists fur the prompt accomplishment of the object to fur- 
ther which the present meeting was specially convened — the 
thorougli reorganization of the medical department of the 
Army. 

The Kev. Dr. Bellows, chairman of the Sanitary Commission, 
then addressed the meeting, laying before it the present condi- 
tion of things in the medical departiTient of the army, the 
pressing necessity of some official and efficient machinery for 
providing for and regulating the sanitary condition of the 
troops, and the considerations which render a complete and 
thorough renovation and reorganization of the medical depart- 
ment of the army absolutely indispensable. He informed the 
meeting that a bill had been prepared by members of the 
Sanitary Commission, in consultation with General McClellan, 
which, after being submitted to, amended, and approved by 
the War Department, had been moved in the United States 
Senate by Senator Wilson. 

Dr. Yan Buren then gave the meeting the history of the 
present Medical Department of the x\rmy, and in a more de- 
tailed and professional way, the practical defects of the present 
system in our Army, contrasting it with the system now exist- 
ing in the Armies of France and England, and then proceeded 
to read the bill prepared by the Commission, amended by the 
War Department, and now pending before the Senate of the 
United States, as follows : 

"An Act to provide for the reorganization of the Medical 
" Department of the Army." 



"Be ire**|^pd by the Senate and House of Eepresentatives 
" in Congress assembled, that the Medical Department of the 
" Army shall be constituted as follows :" 

" Sec. 1, There shall be one Director-General who shall have 
" the rank, pay, and emoluments of a Brigadier General, and 
" who shall, as Chief of the Medical Corps, perform the duties 
" nowf.ssigned to the Surgeon-General, and such others as may 
" be required by lavr and regulation. There shall be one San- 
" itary Inspector-General, who shall have the rank, pay, and 
" emoluments of a Colonel of Cavalry, and who shall, under 
" the Director General, have the general supervision of all that 
" relates to the Sanitary condition of the Army, whether in 
" quarters or in camps, and with the hygiene, police, discipline, 
" and efficiency of Field and General ITospitals, under such 
" regulations as may be hereafter established." 

" There shall be eight Sanitary Inspectors, who shall have 
" the rank, pay, and emoluments, each, of a Lieutenant-Colonel 
" of Cavalry, and who shall be charged with the duty of in- 
" specting the Sanitary condition of Quarters and Camps, of 
" Field and General Hospitals, and who shall report to the 
" Sanitary Inspector-General, under such regulations as maybe 
" hereafter established, all circumstances relating to the San- 
" itary condition and wants of troops, and of ITospitals, and to 
" the skill, efficiency, and good conduct of the officers and at- 
" tendants connected with the Medical Department." 

" There shall be not exceeding forty Surgeons of the first 
" class, who shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments, each, of 
" a Major of Cavalry, and who shall ordinarily be assigned to 
" Staff, Bureau, and Hospital duties." 



" There siiall be not exceeding fifty Surgeons of the second 
" class, who shall liave the rank, pay, and emoliunents, each of 
" a Captain of Cavalry, and shall ordinarily be assigned to duty 
" with regiments." 

"And there shall he not exceeding one hundred assistant- 
" surgeons, who shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments each 
"of a first-lieutenant of cavalry, and who shall perform such 
" duties as are now required of assistant-surgeons." 

"There shall be not exceeding one hundred medical cadets, 
" who shall not be less than eighteen, nor more than twenty- 
" three years of ago at the time of entering, who shall be 
" examined by a Board of Medical Officers, in such branches of 
" medical and sanitary science as the Director-General may 
" order. After three years of continuous medical service, and 
" on their producing proper testimonials of character from the 
" medical officers with whom they have served, they may be 
" examined for promotion by a board of medical officers of the 
" Army. They shall have the rank, pay, and emoluments of 
" the highest grade of non commissioned officers of the Army." 

" There shall be as many hospital stewards as the exigencies 
" of the service may require from time to time, to be designated 
" by a Sanitary Inspector, on the recommendation of the senior 
" surgeon of the post, division, regiment, or military depart- 
" ment where their services may be required, and they shall 
" have the rank, pay, and emoluments of first sergeants of 
" cavalry." 

'jSec. 2. Be it further enacted, tliat immediately after the 
" passage of this Act, it shall be the duty of the president to 
" select from the Medical Corps of the Army suitable persons 



"to fill th^^ffices of Director-General, Sanitary Inspector- 
" General, and Sanitary Inspectors. Provided, That no one 
"shall be appointed to either of said positions avIio shall liave 
" attained the age of sixty years." 

"Sec. 3. And be it further enacted, that promotion in the 
" medical corps, np to the grade of surgeon of the first class in- 
" elusive, shall be by seniority ; but that the grades of Director- 
" General, Sanitary Inspector- General, and Sanitary Inspectors, 
" shall be filled by selection from the whole corps, and by such 
" oflicers as shall have shown tlieir peculiar fitness for such 
" positions." 

" Sec. 4. And be it further enacted, that the surgeons of 
" the first and second classes provided for by the first section of 
" this act shall be appointed from the medicxil corps of the army 
" as at present organized, and in accordance with the require- 
" ments of section third of this Act ; and that the consequent 
" vacancies in the grade of assistant-surgeon shall be filled by 
" aj)poiutment from civil life : Provided, that no one shall be 
" appointed an assistant-surgeon of the Army, or promoted to 
" the grade of surgeon of the first or second class, until he shall 
" previously have been examined by a board of army medical 
" officers, and found qualified, physically, morally, and in 
" medical and sanitary attainments, for the office, and tljie 
" adequate performance of its duties." 

" Sec. 5. And be it further enacted, that so much of the 
" act of 

" as allows additional rations to surgeons, and assistant surgeons, 
" upon the completion of ten years service in their respective 
" grades, be, and the same is hereby repealed." 



" Sec. 6. And be it further enacted that every medical 
" officer of the army, who has attained the age of sixty-five 
" years, or on attaining that age, shall be retired from active 
" service, and shall be entitled to receive the pay and emolu- 
" ments allowed to officers of corresponding rank by the act of 
'•1861." 

" Sec. 7. And bo it further enacted that all acts, and parts 
"of acts, inconsistent with the provisions of this Act, be, and 
"the same are hereby repealed." 

After tlie bill had been read, Mr, Sturgis, after some intro- 
ductor}^ remarks, moved certain resolutions with preambles. 

These resolutions were seconded by Dr. Alonzo Clark, who 
supported them in an address to the meeting. 

The Honorable Horace Greeley, Professor Ordronaux, Eev. 
Dr. Osgood, Dr. Watson, Mr. McCurdy, Judge Dalj', Dr. 
McCready, Dr. Griscom, Dr. Alexander 11. Stevens, Dr. 
Joseph M. Smith, and Dr. Harris, all spoke in support of the 
bill and resolutions, making, at tlie same time, some suggestions 
as to matters of detail for tlie consideration of the meeting. 

On the motion of Judge Daly, duly seconded, the third reso- 
lution was amended. 



On the motion of Mr. Kuggles, duly seconded, another reso- 
tion, making J 
by Mr. Sturges. 



lution, making the fifth in order, was added to tlie four offered 



Thereupon the resolutions so amended and added to, were 
put to the vote, and passed imanimously, as follows : 



Whe?'ea6, the efficiency of our troops, the economy of our 
treasnr}', the confidence of the People at home, and the success 
of our national cause, finally depend as much upon the health 
of the Army, as upon great generalship, hard fighting, sound 
legislation, or good financiering — and 

Whereas, the health of every army is largely dependent on 
the constitution and efficiency of its Medical Department, and 
its disposition and ability to employ all human preventive and 
curative methods, ^yith foresight, energy, and zeal — and 

Whereas, the existing I\Iedical Department of the United 
States Army being skilfully adapted to tlie economical and 
simple wants of the few tliousand men hitherto, happily, com- 
petent to our national need, is, on this very account, far behind 
the wants of an army of more than half-a-million of men : — 

Iherefore, 

1. Resolved, That the humanity and intelligence of the 
American People demand that the vast body of citizen-soldiers 
now in the field, fighting for the life of the JSTation, shall not 
be without the protection of the most efficient medical organi- 
zation known to military experience in any part of the world. 

2. Resolved^ That the existing organization of the Medical 
Department of the Arm}-, in which seniority is the sole law of 
promotion, and a colonelcy the highest grade of assimilated 
rank attained, is incompatible with the due importance of the 
Department; destructive to that spirit of emulation essential to 
great services ; fatal to the rise of merit and high qualifications 
to the control of aftairs ; and deadening to the efficiency of the 
Department. 



3. Mesolved^ That this meeting earnestly urges upon Con- 
gress the passage of a bill substantially such as has been intro- 
duced into the Senate, a copy of ^vhich is appended, for the 
re-organization of the Medical Department — raising it more 
nearly to the level of the position now occupied by the Medical 
Departments in England and France ; securing to it the full 
reliance of the gorernment and the liearty confidence of the 
public ; and enabling it by the invigoration it would acquire, 
under the administration of men of middle age, proven qualifi- 
cations, and first-rate energy, to meet the humane expectations 
of the l^ation and secure tlie largest possible amount of health 
and efiiciency among our troops. 

4. Resolved^ That these resolutions, signed by the oflScers 
of this meeting, and by such of the members of this body as 
feel their truth and urgency, be transmitted to the chairmen of 
the Military Committees in both Houses of Congress, to the 
Commander-in-Chief, to the Secretary of War, and to the 
President of the United States. 

5. Resolved^ That the Associate Members of the Sanitary 
Commission now assembled, earnestly invite their fellow-citi- 
zens, and especially the Chamber of Commerce, and the Asso- 
ciated Banks, to exert their influence to secure the passage of 
Senator "Wilson's bill (above referred to), with proper modifica- 
tions. 

After which, on the motion of Mr. McCurdy, duly seconded, 
it was referred to the Chairman of this Meeting, and to the 
Chairman of the Sanitary Commission, to appoint a committee 
of five, to visit Washington for the purpose of procuring the 



10 

passage of tff^bill above mentioned. Such refevenca being 
made to the Chairmen with power. 



After which the meeting adjourned. 



Geo. F. Allen, 

Secretary. 

Geoege Opdyke, 

Chairman. 



11 



ASSOCIATE MEMBERS OF THE SANITARY COMMISSION IN 
NEW YORK AND BROOKLYN. 



Frederick S. Winston, 
Alfred 0. Post, M. D., 
Peter Cooper, 
Robert L. Stuart, 
Robert B. Minturn, 
William II. Aspinwall, 
Alexander T. Stewart, 
Moses Taylor, 
Robert C. Goodhue, 
George T. Trimble, 
Valentine Mott, M. I)., 
Joseph M. Smith, M. D., 
J. H. Douglas, M. D., 
Robert M. Hartley, 
James R. Spaulding, 
John 0. Greene, 
Abiel A. Low, 
Robert II. McCurdy, 
John Watson, M. D., 
John Austin Stevens, 
W. H. Dwinelle, M. D., 
Geo. C. Anthon, 
Meredith Howland, 
George H. Sucklcj'-, M. D., 
Stewart Brown, 
Joseph Sampson, 
Thomas Tilcston, 
Hon. James W. Beekman, 
Royal Phelps, 
Hiram Barney, 
George Opdyke, 
Charles King, 
John Steward, 
Joseph Lawrence, 
Henry Chauncey, Jr., 
Morris Ketchum, 
W. Wheeler De Forest, 
William A. Booth, 
Christopher R. Robert, 
John E. Williams, 
Nicholas Ludlum, 
Hon. Charles P. Dak. 



Uriah Hendriclcs, 

A. C. Richards, 

William E. Curtis, 

Rev. Alex. II. Vinton, D. D., 

Howard Potter, 

Charles P. Kirkland, 

Prof. John Ordronaux, 

Benjamin R. Winthrop, 

Rev. Sullivan H. Weston, D. D., 

Charles E. Strong, 

Hon. Hamilton Fish, 

James Lenox, 

Charles II. Marshall, 

John J. Astor, Jr., 

John J. Cisco, 

Benjamin II. Field, 

John Jay, 

Benj. McCready, M. D., 

Rev. Francis Vinton, D. D., 

Rev. Jerem. W. Cummings, D. D., 

Rev. Wm. A. Mulenberg, D. D., 

Wickham Hoffman, 

Rev. Dr. Storrs, 

Geo. W, Curtis, 

Alexander H. Stevens, 

William Cullen Bryant, 

Joseph Walker, 

J. Carson Brevoort, 

Hon. Horace Greel}'', 

Bradford R. Alden, 

John Bonner, 

Stephen Smith, M. D., 

Richard Grant White, 

W. Harding, 

John Bigelow, 

Wm. C. Hall, 

Cyrus W. Field, 

John II. Griscora, M. D., 

John Torrey, M. D., 

John W. Draper, M. D., 

John C. Dalton, M. D., 

Cliarlos L. Brace, 



12 



Rev. J. CottoniSbith, 

Rev. Dr. W. Adams, 

Dr. A. V. Williams, 

Samuel B. Ruggles, * 

George F. Allen, 

John David Wolfe, 

Rev. Samuel Osgood, D. D., 

Dr. Edmund R. Peaslee, 

Charles A. Dana, 

Most Rev. John Hughes, D. D. 

George Hall, 

Gurdon Buck, M. D., 

Thomas 11. Faile, Jr., 

Ernest Krackowitzer, il. D., 

William n. Osborn, 

Charles E. Butler, 

Rev. G. H. Post, M. D., 

Col. Delafield, U. S. A., 

Maj. A. B. Eaton, U. S. A., 

R, S. Sattcrlee, M. D., 

John T. Metcalfe, M. D., 

Jacob liar sen, M. D., 

William P. Palmer, 

George Gibbs, 

R. A. Witthaus, 

Lewis M. Rutherford, 

Hon, Galiau C. Yerplanck, 




Rt. Re^ 015 910 334 1 

Edwin A. Stevens, 

Joseph B. Collins. 

John McCall, M. D., • 

Austin Fhnt, M. D., 

John C. Peters, M. D., 

Freeman J. Bumstead, M. D., 

Samuel D. Babcock, 

John T. Agnew, 

Edwin Hoyt, 

Prosper M. Wetmore, 

Thomas H. Faile, 

Major-Gen. John A. Dix, U. S. A., 

Charles M. Connelly, 

William V. Brady, 

Henry E. Pierrepont, 

George Griswold, 

AVilliam Paton, 

David Hoadley, 

Alonzo Clark, M. D., 

Shepherd Knapp, 

Robert Lenox Kennedy, 

William F. Cary, 

Jonathan Sturges, 

Prof. H. B. Hitchcock, D. D., 

J. P. Giraud Foster, 

I. Green Pearson. 



LIBRA 

III 

01 




015 970 s; T V 



